Everyone was concerned about who would be the wide receivers on the Philadelphia Eagles' roster that would step up after A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith entered their preseason matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. It's safe to say that it's no longer a concern after their 34-27 win.
The reality is, Jahan Dotson was already a lock to make the roster, but there were some questions as to whether he could bounce back from his tough first season in Philly. He answered the call with two receptions for 27 yards on the opening offensive possession of the game.
Philly's bigger question came after Dotson on the depth chart. Who would step up behind him?
Guys like Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith are entering their second season on the team after finishing up their rookie years. Wilson has not had the best training camp, while Smith has had a decent showing, but nothing flashy.
Other receivers, such as Terrace Marshall Jr., Elijah Cooks, and Darius Cooper, have certainly made the conversation interesting. Marshall got hurt in training camp and did not play against the Bengals, while Cooks found himself being carted off the field against Cincinnati after a collision on special teams.
This left Eagles fans with the hopes that Wilson, Smith, and Cooper would be the next men up. How did they do? Better than most might have expected.
Backup receivers shined bright for the Eagles in preseason win over Bengals
Starting with Cooper, who was arguably the star of the night. He finished as the team's leading receiver with six receptions for 82 yards and a beautiful 20-yard touchdown catch with just 35 seconds left in the first half. His precise route running and quick change of direction made him a legitimate contender to make the 53-man roster.
To be transparent, Smith didn't blow anyone away on offense, as he only had two catches for 11 yards. However, his perfect short post route in the second quarter led to a touchdown catch from quarterback Tanner McKee. Smith shined the brightest on special teams as he had a 46-yard punt return late in the second quarter to set up the Cooper touchdown catch.
The biggest surprise of the night, besides Cooper, was Wilson, who went from having a bad training camp to a memorable preseason game. Twice, Wilson caught tough, contested passes for significant gains. On the Eagles' fourth offensive possession, Wilson grabbed a perfect back shoulder catch that led to Smith's touchdown catch to cap off the drive. The final stats for Wilson were three receptions for 73 yards.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo couldn't have asked for a better performance from their three young receivers, who made big play after big play. Unfortunately, it leaves them with a tough decision on what to do with their receiver position on the roster.
The Eagles may face the possibility of carrying six wide receivers to avoid losing great talent. If they went with five, someone has to go, and it might be Cooper, and after his play on Thursday, some team is grabbing him off waivers in a matter of moments.
It'll be a tough decision for the team at the end of training camp, but they would rather have that as a concern of too much talent versus what they are facing with the cornerbacks and not knowing who to start besides Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
